Explanation:
Comet McNaught, the Great Comet of 2007, has grown a long and filamentary tail.
The spectacular
tail spreads across the sky and is visible to Southern Hemisphere observers just after sunset.
The head of the
comet remains quite bright and easily visible to even
city observers without any optical aide.
The amazing tail is visible on long exposures
and even to the unaided eye from a dark location.
Reports even have the tail visible just above the horizon after
sunset for many northern observers as well.
Comet McNaught,
estimated at
magnitude -2 (minus two),
was caught by the
comet's discoverer in the
above image just after sunset last Friday from
Siding Spring Observatory in
Australia.
Comet McNaught, the brightest comet in decades, is
now fading as it moves further into southern skies and away from the
Sun and
Earth.
